Heavenly Blue
by HeartlessBlu
Summary: [AoKuro Drabble Collection] Kuroko, a rare creature, is captured and imprisoned forever. He's unable to escape and learns that there's nothing else for him except to be a prize of a known collector. Soon he meets someone who tries to talk to him, and something develops between the two.
1. Part 1

**Hello everyone! So I wrote this drabble and posted it on Tumblr. I figured I might as well put here too. I got this idea after watching Guardians of the Galaxy so I'm mostly playing around with the idea and writing drabbles for it. I have a few more and will post them up later.**

**Akashi likes to collect rare beings/items. Kuroko is the last of his kind who doesn't need water or food to survive, and Aomine is a bounty hunter. That's all I have for now. **

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A cage of glass surrounded the young naked man, who laid in the center with a blanket of white fur to keep him warm. He didn't know where he was when he woke up. He looked around and saw creatures of different races in the same type of hold. He moved forward and rapped on the glass. He even tried to push the glass out and clawed at it, but nothing stirred it at all.

"Kuroko, don't make such noises. You'll wake up the others."

Light blue eyes looked at the young man in a long white coat with belts around the waist and sleeves dipped in gold. A red scarf wrapped around the man's neck as he shifted it in place.

"Sorry but you're part of my collection now." Heterochromatic eyes and red and yellow studied Kuroko as the man stepped closer to the cage. A hand flattened against the pane. "You'll be well taken cared of."

Kuroko shuddered at the dark voice and strange eyes. There was something about this man that frightened him. He shuffled back to his fine fur and curled himself on it. He'll leave this place soon enough.

"You're going to fit in just fine." The man said before he turned his back, and walked out of the room.

Time meant nothing to Kuroko, for he had lived for many years. He never cared for the minutes, hours, or even days. Day and night were trivial to him. He didn't need food or water, he only needed sunlight to survive but with the room full of artificial lighting, it wasn't enough. It explained why Kuroko was mostly tired all the time and sleep was the only activity he can do.

Soon he stopped counting the days of his time spent in the glass cage. He saw customers come in day by day, some even stopped by to admire Akashi's collections of rare specimens and artifacts. He soon learned his name after one customer came in and called him.

He never cared what was going on. He mostly slept away his life and succumbed to the fact that he was never going to leave this cage.

Time moved on.

Kuroko soon rustled in his sleep as he heard a small tapping on the glass. He lifted his head from his arms and saw a strange man looking at him.

"Yo!" The dark-skinned male said with a huge smile and waved at him.


	2. Start

**Welcome to another drabble! If you like, you can give me a one word prompt and I'll do my best in writing a chapter based on that word. The next one is 'music' so that choice is already gone. I think it'll just help get my brain working while I write 'Thunderclap' or something. If you have any questions, go ahead and ask.**

**Comments/Criticisms are welcome!**

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Kuroko stared at the stranger in front of him, bright eyes studied the man. No one had greeted him before in such a manner. Customers mostly watched and stared. They weren't interested in buying him or wanting to talk to him especially. They called him 'bland' and asked 'does he do anything besides sleep?'

This man in front of him was of no importance. He was different from Akashi's customers, Kuroko can give him that much. A face full of energy and that was it. Kuroko buried himself deeper in his own arms and shut his eyes.

Aomine was about to open his mouth until he heard his name.

"Daiki, please refrain from breaking the glass. The last time you did that became quite an unfortunate event. Such particular type of glass are hard to come by these days." Akashi said with a glare as he walked over to him with an unamused look. The shined black shoes pattered the floor with each step.

Aomine pulled his hand back and gave Akashi a half-hearted smile. "Heh. I guess I didn't know my own strength."

"I take you are interested in this creature?" Red and yellow eyes shifted to the sleeping child.

"Just curious, who is he? And why is he naked?" The last question came out a little higher.

"A new arrival to my collection. His name is Kuroko and he's the last of his kind. I guessed you can say I rescued the poor thing." Akashi explained. That was all he was willing to indulge.

"Shouldn't you be on your way? You already got your award." Akashi added after.

"Huh? Oh…" Aomine took one last look at the sleeping Kuroko. "Yeah I guess."

With a shift of his boots, he walked out. The thought of Kuroko lingered.


	3. Music

**This particular song was stuck in my head for a while so I was like 'why not, I'll incorporate it into this drabble' and see how it goes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. They mean a lot! **

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Before he knew it, he heard someone calling out to him. It was a soft note of fainted words but the recurring voice continued to echo in his ear.

"-ey, heeeey?"

Kuroko opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. He let out a yawn and saw the familiar man once again.

Aomine waved, his eyes full of life along with that wide grin which bared his set of white teeth, became a cycle for Kuroko every time he woke up.

"Yo, what's up?"

Kuroko stared at him as if Aomine expected him to do anything besides sleeping. He gave a long, strenuous look in reply.

"Eh, okay maybe that's not the best thing to ask." Aomine scratched his head and pondered. He settled himself down so he was at the same level as Kuroko. His legs crossed and both hands on his knees. "So…" He frowned as he rubbed his chin in thought while looking up at the ceiling for an answer.

Kuroko waited while watching the man's expression full of hard thinking, but what caught his attention the most was something around Aomine's neck. He shifted closer to the glass and eyed at it curiously. His head tilted to the side, trying to get a good look at it.

The bounty hunter looked down. "What's up?" He raised a brow and followed as to where Kuroko was staring. "Oh, do you like it?" He pointed at the headphones.

Kuroko nodded his head slightly, and placed a hand on the glass, making a gripping motion with them. It reminded him of some kind of jewelry.

"They're called headphones," Aomine explained as he took them off his neck and showed it to Kuroko. It was entirely blue though parts of it were scratched off with painted lightning bolts around the large ear pieces. "You can listen to any kind of music with them." He then pointed at the simple black CD player resting on his side. "There's a disc in here so when I turn it on and press play," He pressed a button and put his headphones over his ears. "Music comes out of here, pretty cool huh?"

Kuroko looked at it surprisingly while his hand gripped into a small fist. He never seen anything like this.

Aomine smiled and paused the song. "Wanna give it a try?" He took off his headphones and turned the volume to the max. He sat up and looked around for something to get him to the top of the cage. With Akashi out for the day, at least Aomine wouldn't get yelled at for doing something out of line.

He found a chair and settled it right on the glass. One foot and then another onto the seat, and with his height, he got up to the small hole on top where the air can seep in. Aomine forced himself up and sat next to the opening, and dangled the headphones downward with the CD player on his knees.

Kuroko picked it up and glanced at it curiously. His fingers brushed against the smooth, thunderbolt patterns and felt the insides of the rounded ear pieces. They felt soft with a bit of a plush to them which he liked very much.

"Put it on so it's covering your ears." Aomine said.

Kuroko hesitantly rested the item over his ears and Aomine played the song, but with the volume up on high, it startled the small boy. He tugged the headphone off and dropped them.

"Oh shit, sorry!" Aomine panicked and scrambled to lower the volume. "My fault...Ugh, damn it, try again?"

Kuroko gave a small pout but agreed with a nod. If his ears were going to get blasted again, he wasn't going to be happy. He set the headphones over his ears, and heard a pleasant sound coming from them. The volume just right for Kuroko.

Aomine watched from above, a small smile surfaced on his face.

_It used to be when I'd see a girl that I liked_

_I'd get out my book and write down her name  
_

_Ah, but when the, the grass got a little greener over on the other side  
_

_I'd just tear out that page…_

The song was nice, much different from the music Kuroko was used to hearing though both each had their unique traits. He relaxed against the glass and listened on, paying attention to every word.

_I fooled around and fell in love_

_I fooled around and fell in love, since I met you baby…_

Aomine watched him get comfortable and the pleasant expression on Kuroko's face brought a form of happiness in him. He let his legs dangled at the end of the cage, and mouthed the lyrics, knowing the song by heart.

_Ah, but since I met you baby, love's got a hold on me  
_

_It's got a hold on me now  
_

_I can't let go of you baby_

Kuroko closed his eyes and let the music drowned him fully.

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**Song:** Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around & Fell In Love


	4. Origami

Theme: Origami

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Aomine sat in the same spot on top of the glass cage, fiddling with a small sheet of sky blue paper with a pile of multicolored sheets right by him. He folded one side and then the other, making sure it was even and the edges sharp as possible for the best result. Already a few paper cranes were down below while Kuroko inspected each one with great interest. Aomine told him if he pulled on the bird's tail back and forth, its wings would imitate a flapping motion.

Light blue orbs widened with surprised as boy successfully made them moved. He did it to another colored bird and another. Suddenly a blue bird landed on top of Kuroko's head. With a tilt of his head forward, the little bird fell onto his lap. This particular one was smaller than the others and he wondered if this little guy could fly. With a gentle touch at the end of the tail, he gave a small pull and its little wings went up. His mouth rounded to an 'o' and pulled again, while Aomine watched from above, seeing how he particularly liked Kuroko's curiosity.

"The one you're holding is a mini Tetsu."

And after finishing a bigger, darker blue crane, he let it fall into Kuroko's hand. "And that's me. We're a matching pair, you-umm… like it?"

Kuroko held the two special ones in his hand and smiled. No one has given him a gift like this before. He was grateful and since Aomine was the one who made them, he would cherish them for a very long time.

Aomine rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed how Kuroko was so easily pleased. "I'm glad."

Kuroko looked up, waiting for more of these paper birds.

"Oh, did you know…" Aomine stated and Kuroko bent his head to the side curiously. "If you fold one thousand cranes, you'll be granted a wish."

A wish?

Was that true?

"It's some story I've heard when I was traveling." He shrugged. "Don't know anyone who attempted it though and even if they did, I haven't heard about it but if it's true," Aomine looked at Kuroko with a bit of hope. "I would wish for your freedom."

Freedom.

How long has it been since he heard that word? He'd forgotten all about it, he buried it so deep. His life in this cage, he learned to accept it and continued on without a fight. There was nothing for him out there if he was able to leave. His home and family were gone.

Kuroko looked at Aomine, touched by the bounty hunter's wish but he couldn't get him in trouble. No one has ever taken from Akashi without payment. There weren't many people with that kind of money to even buy his valuable items. Kuroko appreciated the thought but he shook his head with a no. It wouldn't do well for him and Aomine.

Freedom was a great price and Kuroko couldn't ask him to do it.

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**Thanks for reading! Just to let you know that the drabbles aren't in chronological order in case you were wondering, and feel free to give me some one word prompts.**

** This story isn't beta'd so any mistakes are done by me. If you want to help me, please let me know! You can visit my Tumblr (heartlessblu) for my story updates or just Knb stuff.**


	5. Meeting

**Theme: Meeting**

**See Notes at the bottom.**

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"As a friend to another friend, I suggest you stop what you're doing." Akashi hinted at Kuroko's cage before meeting Aomine's wondering stare. It was always straight to the point. No unnecessary words were needed when it came to Akashi, not even a 'how are you' to start it off.

The two sat at a nearby table during the late night while the creatures slept. Akashi given them both a drink and poured another as Aomine took one quick gulp down.

"I allowed you here because of our familiarity. We've known each other for a long time, and have not done each other wrong, am I right?" Akashi leaned back in his chair with a small smile.

Aomine shrugged. "Eh, I guess… so?"

"So," Akashi added with greater emphasis. "If you continue whatever this thing you have between you and that boy, it won't end well. You give him too much hope."

"Tch," Aomine folded his arms together with an irritated look written all over his face. "It's not like it's such a bad thing. He needs it."

"I can see it in his eyes, he wants to leave this place." A bit tiredly, Akashi brushed his fingers through his hair. "I will say this only once. I will not let you take him."

And that was final.

"He shouldn't even be in that cage in the first place! He should be out there where he belongs!" Aomine shouted, and Akashi silenced him with a hardened glare, enough to keep the man quiet so he may speak again.

"I mentioned before that he's the last of his kind. What is there for him out there once he leaves this place? What can you give him? You're a bounty hunter, it is a life unsuitable for Kuroko to live with." Akashi frowned even further. "I'm assuming you have not thought this through if it went your way, Daiki."

"You're not giving him any crap by keeping him in that stupid thing! He deserves to be free!" The bounty hunter's fist banged the table in frustration, knocking over his drink to the side while a stream of liquor splattered all over the floor.

Kuroko lifted his head from his sleep and heard the anger in Aomine's voice. Worriedness hovered his entire face as he watched while he crept closer to the glass.

"Choose your next words carefully." Akashi got up and called over a servant to clean up the mess. "I'll be kind and give you a few days to say your goodbyes. Once it's done, I won't need your services any longer. You will leave and never come back here."

"Hold on a second, you can't just fucking pull that shit on me! Throwing me away like that when I did all your dirty work!" Aomine rose in front of Akashi. He was indeed much taller than him but the latter was not afraid as he continued to simply stare with a small grin while standing proudly without a flinch in his body.

"That's all I have to say to you. You are dismissed." Akashi turned and left. The servant came by as he quietly cleaned the mess.

Aomine scowled at the fleeting back of the collector, and mumbled curses as he too turned, and left bitterly angry and frustrated. He did not once responded or acknowledged Kuroko's attempts at getting his attention.

The creature solemnly glanced at the back of the hunter while his hands slid down the glass, and watched Aomine disappeared into the night.

The heavy metal doors shut to a tight close, leaving Kuroko a pain of emptiness in his lonely cage.

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**Hello! Thank you for the favorites, subscriptions, and reviews once again. Please look forward to more :). And send me some one word prompts/themes that you want to see and I'll do my best and write it. Visit my blog heartlessblu on Tumblr for more news. **

**Until next time!**


	6. Book

**Theme: Book  
**

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Aomine wasn't a fan of books, in fact, he didn't like to read much. It wasn't because he was illiterate, it was mostly how irritated it was to read a never-ending words of text, or the fact that he was too lazy to even pick up a book, especially an instructor's manual. With those long details explaining a process step by step, he would say 'fuck this shit, I'll figure it out myself' and cue throwing the manual behind his back. It doesn't end well for him though.

Surprisingly, he was given a book today. An elderly woman in ragged clothing walked down the street with an old worn basket. In it were several hardcover ones, mostly untitled but thick enough to wonder what adventures awaited the reader.

"Oh, young man…" The woman called to him as she stopped right in front. "Please take one, it's free." She said gently as she handed him a dark green book. "Books does wonders to a person and you, young man, are in need of one."

Aomine raised a brow. "Sorry ma'am-" but the woman insisted with a slight push of the book into his chest.

"You'll do well with this one. It's a very good book. Highly detailed and quite the adventure! Fitting for such a handsome man like you." The elder remained cheerful as she explained more about the book.

Aomine grumbled to himself and rubbed the back of his head, feeling aggravated as the woman's explanations continued to fill his head. He didn't want to cause a scene so he quickly snatched the book out of her hand. "Fine, I'll read it! Just stop talking already…" He muttered and the woman graciously thanked him and said a goodbye before leaving.

"Seriously?" Aomine spun the book with a finger and shrugged. "Maybe Tetsu might like it."

And here he was, standing in front of Kuroko's cage with the book in hand.

"I really didn't want it…" Aomine frowned and looked at Kuroko. "Wh-what's with that face for?"

Kuroko gave him that 'of course you didn't want it' look. He moved closer to the glass and pointed at the book.

"Heh, you got me." Aomine replied casually and noticed Kuroko pointing at the hardcover. "What? You want it? Go ahead." He was about to go on top of the cage and drop it down for him, but the sudden shake of blue hair caught his attention.

"Huh? Change your mind?"

Another no. Kuroko pointed at the book once more, then at Aomine, and then to the empty spot in front of him. The realization hit the man and he smacked his forehead.

"You want me to read it to you?" He said in disbelief.

Kuroko gave a definite nod and a gentle of smiles. He wrapped himself up with his fluffy, white blanket and waited with much interest.

"You can read it yourself, y'know?" Aomine tried but Kuroko knew in those dark blue eyes that he was running away. He gave a small pout and wouldn't stop until Aomine relented.

"That face won't work on me, nope. You got it all wrong." With a huff, the bounty hunter turned and crossed his arms like a stubborn child, but he couldn't help but look back, seeing that same expression on Kuroko's face.

No, he wasn't going to agree to this.

"Tetsu…"

It became a staring contest. If two were going to play this game then bring it on.

Seconds passed felt forever as no one wanted to give up but the pout soon turned into a dejectedly look of a rejection.

And that is when Aomine gave in and read him the first chapter. "Let's see, the tale of the Ice King of Callisto, and his three wives?! The hell is this shit? Tetsu, this is not going to end well!" He cried out as he recalled the elderly woman mentioning it being 'highly detailed'. He even imagined her laughing cruelly at him.

The tanned man was ready to call it quits but Kuroko, with his innocent face and beautiful eyes staring intensively, persuaded him to continue.

And so Aomine read the story, with passion as he voiced the king and mockingly the wives in success, and Kuroko, silently laughing how entertaining the story was, but most of all he enjoyed hearing the older man's voice bringing the book to life.

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***Events in this story are not told in order, they are random moments in time.  
*Work is unbetad, looking for someone to help me beta this  
*Visit my Tumblr (heartlessblu) for more updates**

**Thanks for reading everyone! All these alerts, reviews, and favs make me happy every time! **


	7. Money

**Theme: Money**

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Kuroko watched several old and newcomers leaving the place with suitcases of money in hand during the past week. He assumed the cases were filled with wads of cash considering the pleasant looks on the customers' faces as they left the place. In truth, Kuroko didn't understand money at all. Why was it necessary? He understood that carrying a lot of money equaled status, just like Akashi, but it wasn't easy to get to that point, right? He knew it caused pain and sadness. Money turned to greed, and greed into war. People fought for money, and tried to obtain the level of satisfaction.

But many weren't content with their lives. What did it mean to be happy though? Was money a necessity for it to all work out?

Till this day, money was a foreign concept to him.

The metal doors suddenly sprang open and Aomine walked in with a heavy brown bag over his shoulder. Kuroko looked at it interestedly as he walked by, wondering what could be in it. It looked heavy, maybe it was filled with rare artifacts or possibly a body? Now that was something Kuroko didn't want to think about.

"Yo Tetsu, be there in a minute." The dark-skinned man waved before heading over to Akashi's office.

Kuroko gestured back with a smile and watched him retreat. No, he definitely didn't want to imagine a dead body in that bag.

Ten minutes passed and Kuroko heard a loud cry coming from Akashi's office. He lifted his head and saw the bounty hunter open the door with a fist raised in the air. "Yahoo! Finally, thanks man! Ugh-I mean-yeah, thank you very much..." He said and left quickly. The large bag already gone from his back.

Kuroko assumed Akashi gave Aomine that certain 'look'. He always did when his clients acted in a non-professional manner. To be honest, it did frighten him a bit too.

Aomine sauntered right over, his boots clacked one step at a time, to Kuroko with confidence. He bid another greeting. "I'm back."

The boy nodded, feeling happy to have him as company once more. He enjoyed every visit from this man, it always made his days pleasant and comfortable.

"I have a surprise for you actually. Sorry, it took me a while to get it. Pretty much explains why I was gone for some time. I should've told you before but… yeah." Aomine explained, a bit ashamed. "Didn't want to ruin it."

Oh, he was worried. Kuroko felt touched actually and shook his head that it wasn't a problem. Kuroko didn't mind the wait really. As long as Aomine came back, that was all that mattered to him. And a surprise? Kuroko tilted his head curiously.

"Yeah, I think you'll like it." Aomine gave an enthusiastic reply. He grabbed the ladder and climbed up the cage before opening the hole. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

Now he really wondered what it could be. Kuroko shut both eyes and waited. He felt something hard and cool dropped into his hands along with a long metal strand.

"Okay, you can open them now." Aomine sprung off the cage and landed right in front. He sat down, looking a bit hesitant at Kuroko. "Do you like it?" He asked slowly.

Kuroko opened his eyes and gasped how beautiful it was. His vivid eyes lit up as he picked up the necklace, admiring the color and jewel. It was a simple silver chain with a rounded blue tourmaline attached to it. Certain jewels were impossible to find at this time of age. Even if the real ones were sold in markets, they were quite costly. The rarest and finest of high grades one were up for bid, starting with seven hundred and fifty million rooks*.

"Kinda found this gem hidden in the back of this place, Akashi said it was tour…ma…line? Ah, whatever, I thought it was pretty, okay? And it was better if you have it. I don't really need it though I would've sold it for money but I think you'll put it to good use than I can. I just did something for that guy and my reward was that... well first I saw it and I wanted it really badly but money…"

Aomine continued on with his explanation while Kuroko was in a quiet daze as he held it with such care. The beautiful light blue color shimmered in the light and his finger brushed against the smoothed sides. No one has ever given him such gift like this before. It was a kind gesture, he would keep it close to him. He held the necklace close to his heart and looked at Aomine, which Aomine stopped.

"Yeah?" He asked.

Kuroko mouthed the words a small 'thank you' and immediately the bigger man glowed with embarrassment, his face turned a bit of a watermelon color. "Eh, it's no big deal." He whispered after.

Such acts made Kuroko laugh deep inside, his shoulders shaking with amusement.

Aomine curled his lips and chuckled a bit. "So, umm I would put it on for you, but the stupid, shitty glass is in the way." He flicked the pane with slight annoyance. "Yeah, so keep it. It sorta reminded me of your eyes..." He took a breather and continued, his face growing a darker shade of red. "Just by looking at them, it's like I kinda-hmm, like I understand you somehow. There's a lot I don't know about but I know for sure your eyes are amazing." He whispered at the very end.

The boy parted his lips with a surprise as he caught the last bit while his heart beat in quick tempos. He put the necklace on and saw how it settled nicely around his neck. Kuroko thanked him once more, his head bowed respectfully. Aomine was a kind man and each moment he spent with him, the more he liked him. He even learned today that money wasn't important to the man, it was him obtaining happiness.

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**Note:**

**I think Kuroko would have the ability to mouthed certain words such as 'thanks' or 'hello' for starters but to really have a conversation with him would require him to initiate 'something'. And that something is just a tiny idea I have but really keeping the info to myself for the time being until I have something settled. **

***I just made up a currency so everyone in this universe uses 'rooks' when dealing with money. A tiny bit stems from HxH since their currency is Jenny's I believe and Rooks seems to struck me so quickly.**

***Events in this story are not told in order, they are random moments in time  
*Work is unbetad, looking for someone to help me beta this  
*Visit my Tumblr (heartlessblu) for more updates**

**Sadly to say I'm not too happy with this chapter but whatever, I just wanted to post it before I do any more crazy editing on this! Enjoy.**


	8. Friend

**Theme: Friend**

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A new creature came in today, a special one who can morph into another human being. He can easily blend in with society and nobody would know who he truly was. He was quite the trickster and loved to play games with people. Though he was caught after he attempted to kill his very owner, Kasamatsu Yukio, the governor of Titan. Kise Ryouta, a mimic, was ordered to be sent to death.

Akashi found out about this Kise, and sent one of his men to buy him no matter what the cost. After a long talk, Kasamatsu finally agreed and not wanting to deal with the mimic anymore so he gladly offered with a high price for him. The amount of rooks didn't bothered the servant and purchased Kise without a problem.

The servant, Reo, came in with a tall, glass cage where the mimic was held in, similar to the one Kuroko was in. Kise was highly amazed how big the place was and everything that Akashi had.

"Wow! And look at that animal, and that shiny thing! Oh, there's also that shiny thing! Is that a tree?!" The mimic was ecstatic, maybe too excited as he pointed out every little thing. "Hey, you going to let me out anytime soon?" He knocked on the glass to get Reo's attention but he didn't respond, mostly kept quiet as he waited for Akashi. Kise frowned just a tiny bit and shifted into Reo, a complete replica of him. The face, hair, eyes, nose, and voice were one hundred percent true.

"Going to talk to me now? Come on, handsome. Don't you want to indulge me just a little bit?" Reo-Kise gave a wink and the original Reo, though not surprised Kise could do this, was slightly irritated. He refused to speak a word and saw Akashi coming toward them.

"Thank you for your hard work." The collector said and glanced at the Reo-Kise in the cage. "Welcome to my home, Kise. I do hope you enjoy your stay here."

While Akashi spoke with Kise, Kuroko couldn't helped but be surprised at the newcomer. He never saw a mimic before, but clearly he understood who they were.

"Put him next to Kuroko. I'm sure he'll be pleased to have a new friend." Akashi stated, giving a quick smile at Kuroko before returning to his work. Reo complied and settled the cage right next to the boy before leaving the premises.

Once he left, Kuroko glanced at the blond haired man. He had a fair face with golden eyes to match his hair. Actually he was handsome, no doubt about that. With that smile on his face, he seemed to be a nice person.

"Looks like we're going to be neighbors for a long time. The name's Kise Ryouta. I'm a mimic and got in trouble with my previous owner. He didn't like it when I tried to kill him." He shrugged, not much giving a care about his actions. "Oh well, it can't be helped. So, what's your name?"

Kise soon learned that Kuroko doesn't speak, courtesy of Akashi, after Akashi heard such loud ramblings coming from him. Akashi also mentioned about a bounty hunter who has taking a liking to him and the mimic would soon meet him.

Most the time, Kise spent talking with Kuroko, telling him his life in a carefree manner. He also amused Kuroko with his copying skills and turned himself into Akashi at first, mocking him with his high and mighty attitude, and into his previous owner, Kasamatsu. It became an acting of sorts and Kuroko got the idea of what their relationship was like. No doubt, Kuroko knew Kise was quite the character. The mimic then turned into Kuroko but what was off about him was the voice. Since he doesn't have a record of the boy's voice, he spoke normally which threw Kuroko off.

"Pretty weird, huh?" Kise laughed a little and transformed into another human being who Kuroko didn't recognize, but the mimic did his part and told another story.

It felt like hours for Kuroko as he listened attentively to each and every little thing. Kise had been around the galaxy, and sounded like he had a fun time. Before Kise told another one, the door opened and Aomine showed up.

As the bounty hunter walked over, his steps slowed as he raised an eyebrow, staring at the two replicas. "Hey Tet…su?" Aomine stopped and looked at the two Kurokos in the room. "Huh…?" Confusion written all over the man's face as he starred at both of them. "What did Akashi do? Don't tell me he went and fuck shit up-"

Kise laughed really hard and Aomine jumped from where he stood. "What the hell?!"

The mimic gave a grand smile and shifted back to his regular form. "You're Aomine, right?"

"Okay, that's not strange at all." Aomine was weary of him and looked for Kuroko for support. "Hey Tetsu, whose this guy?"

"Oh, I was brought in today! I'm Kise Ryouta, it's finally a pleasure to meet you. Akashi said you were Kurokocchi's little visitor." He took a long, hard look at him, his eyes roaming all over Aomine's body as if uncovering a buried treasure. "Why aren't you a handsome man? Kurokocchi is so lucky to have you." Kise sighed and placed a hand over his heart. "How tragic though, you've fallen in love with someone you cannot have!"

"Oi," Aomine marched right over to Kise's cage. "You got something to say?"

Kuroko shuddered at the dark tone of the mimic's voice, but the words 'in love' seemed to cloud his very thoughts.

"Hmm? He told me about you especially your little visits with Kurokocchi, but don't you think it's pitiful?" Kise looked down on him, with a prideful attitude. "I think it would be best if I stay by Kurokocchi's side. Maybe Akashi can give us a bigger cage." Kise laughed a bit. "We beings should stick together while you humans go do human things."

"Oh yeah?" Aomine pulled out a gun and aimed right at Kise. "Why don't I stick a bullet right through your head now? Humans have a knack for killing after all." He grinned as a finger settle right on the trigger.

"Good idea! I'm sure Kurokocchi would love to see that side of you. Don't hesitate now, paint this cage full of red, I insist." Kise said and chuckle soon after. His face beamed a smile at him and waited patiently.

A third voice entered. "Mimics are quite the fickle creatures and rotten to the core. Ryouta, stop your senseless talk or I will do it myself." Akashi tapped the glass as he walked forward and Kise moved slightly back. He bitterly mumbled to himself and sat down with his back against them. "Take good care of them and they'll treat you like a king." He shook his head with a tired sigh. "You shouldn't let him anger you so, Daiki. He is what he is, they enjoy riling people up and deceit is in their nature."

Aomine clicked his tongue with distaste and slipped the gun back in his holster. He gritted his teeth as he felt the blood rising in his body. "He's an annoying shit. I would bash his head in if I get the chance."

"Calm yourself," Akashi placed a hand over the male's shoulder. "I'll put him someplace else. Would that remedy your state of mind?"

"Whatever, at least I don't have to see that ugly mug of his."

"And this ugly mug here will miss you too." Kise replied back with a turn of his head, a small smile graced his complexion as he wore the face of Aomine.

"Well fuck you too." Aomine answered with a middle finger in the air.

Meanwhile, Kuroko focused his gaze on the bounty hunter and wondered if he was in love with him.

Was that even possible?

* * *

**I wouldn't be surprised if Akashi planned this from the very start and, Kise with his mixed personality, what even... Well that's chapter 8! Thank you everyone for the alerts, reviews, and favorites. Until next time.**

*******Events in this story are not told in order, they are random moments in time  
*Work is unbetad, looking for someone to help me  
*Visit my Tumblr (heartlessblu) for more updates**


	9. Paper

**Theme: Paper**

* * *

"So I figured I get you a journal and some pens so you write stuff or draw." Aomine dug into his pockets and pulled out many colored ones. "Oh, the lady wanted me to get the extra fancy ones too and I told her I didn't want any. Like who needs fancy shit when you can have something that works just as fine?"

Kuroko agreed wholeheartedly and caught the journal along with the pens as Aomine dropped them into the cage. One pen accidentally landed on his head and the male hunter gave a quick sorry. He even asked him if he was okay and thankfully Kuroko will survive to see another day.

Akashi walked over with his hands behind his back and greeted them both with a nod. "It seems Ryouta has a message for you. He says that you're an idiot and a lovesick puppy."

"Oh, really? Well…" Aomine got down from the cage and took a breath in. Without a warning, he yelled at the top of his lungs. "HE'S A PIECE OF SHIT WITH THAT PISS-COLORED HAIR FOR STARTERS!" Somewhere in the back of the room, he could hear the subtle laughing of the mimic.

Akashi's steel gaze pieced through Aomine, leaving the tanned male frozen in place. "Wonderful, I'm sure he heard that quite well. Please don't do that again." He said without a doubt and continued onward, leaving the two by themselves.

Aomine sighed lightly, thankfully not having to deal with Akashi again. "Sorry, Tetsu." The hunter apologized when he saw Kuroko knit his brows together. "It just sort of happened…"

Kuroko opened to the first page of his journal and took a blue pen. He started to scribble something in it and Aomine curiously looked over. Once Kuroko was done, he turned it and show Aomine what he wrote.

"Eh?"

On the page were lines, almost forming shapes with dots around. The first character reminded him of the letter 'I' except the ends of each line were more curved, looking like an hourglass. Kuroko then drew a smiley face right after the word and he too smiled back at Aomine.

"Oh! It means happy?"

Kuroko shook his head, though he continued to smile, holding back any means of laughter.

"Sorry, I don't know this language, to be honest." Aomine frowned. But an idea crossed his mind and called for Akashi's help. He told Kuroko to give him a minute and went to look for the collector. Even though Akashi didn't want to help him at first, but he decided he had to before Aomine pestered him some more.

"Of course I do." Akashi said as he led him to his personal library in his office. "What kind of collector would I be if I didn't have books on them?" Akashi grabbed a gray book from the top shelf. "Here's one about Slyph language." Before he handed it to Aomine, he warned. "This book will not leave this place so I expect you to return it in good condition when you're done. If you lose it, it will cost you."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Aomine took it out of Akashi's hand and went back to Kuroko, feeling accomplished. He even showed him the book and Kuroko gave an approval. It was a start.

"So Sylph, huh? That's pretty cool, I imagined them to be all…" His hands moved in the air, trying to depict a picture but failed. "Airy? But you're human really."

Kuroko rolled his eyes. He focused on his writing as he wrote the same characters down and ended it with the same smiley face. With a turn of the journal, Aomine saw the same word.

"I got this. Let's see…" He opened the textbook and looked up each character. When he finally pieced them together, he pouted at Kuroko. "I-idiot? Tetsu, what game you playing at?!"

Aomine saw him sticking out his tongue and he couldn't help but find it really adorable, but he wasn't going to tell Kuroko that. Kuroko poked his chin with his pen while in thought. He signaled Aomine to wait and began to write. Underneath the text, Kuroko drew a circle and a few lines. Kuroko showed it to him and pointed at the stick figure before pointing at him.

"Okay, so that's me."

Kuroko nodded and drew the same thing except smaller. His face gotten a little red while doing so. Once Aomine saw the full picture, he noticed the smaller stick figure was holding hands with the taller one with something written underneath. With the help of the book, Aomine found the meaning behind it.

"O-oh." His blue eyes widened once he understood what Kuroko meant. "Together." That well-known cheerful grin of his appeared once more.

Kuroko hid his face behind his journal, covering the fact that his cheeks were flushed.

"Hey, Tetsu?" Aomine bent down on one knee and placed his hand on the glass. "One day, we'll travel the galaxy, it'll be just you and me. You just wait and see." He wordlessly promised he would free Kuroko from this place.

Kuroko lowered his journal and rested his hand flat against the glass, noticing how small his hand was compared to Aomine's. If only he could feel the warmth of that hand on the other side, the glass was a little cold to begin with. The pounding ache in his heart returned once more so he laid his forehead against the glass, shuddering with every breath.

Aomine settled his head right on the glass. "Hey, it's okay. Look at me, Tetsu." He said gently and Kuroko lifted his head up.

Their eyes met.

"Damn, your eyes are really beautiful."

Immediately Kuroko slammed the journal where Aomine's face was.

"Gah!" The bounty hunter flinched back and asked for forgiveness many times, while explaining how Kuroko's eyes were a brilliant shade of blue. How it reminded him of Earth and all of the summer days where the ocean basked in its radiance and the sky was never-ending, filled with dreams of a boy who wanted to see what was outside.

Kuroko gaped at him surprisingly and soon his demeanor softened when he opened his journal. He wrote something quickly with a smile gracing his face, and showed it to Aomine. With the help of the gray book, Aomine looked it up and found what he was looking for.

He gave a cheer and continued. "Hell yeah, I'm pretty incredible alright. There's no one else like me."

Aomine gave a thumbs up.

* * *

**So I decided to make him into a Sylph, an air spirit, after I researched some various creatures that might fit Kuroko. Since he's an Aquarius thus an air sign so why not? I think it makes sense. And I like to think he finds humans to be most interesting since he lives up in the clouds and watches them from above. It's how he adopted a human form to begin with too… with lots of practice to maintain it I'm sure.**

**I also want to try bringing in other characters but we'll see. **

**Go ahead and send me one-word prompts, or anything you want me to write and I'll try.**

***Events in this story are not told in order, they are random moments in time  
*Work is unbetad, looking for someone to help me beta this  
*Visit my Tumblr (heartlessblu) for more updates**


	10. Two

**Theme: Two**

* * *

Probably the strangest he had seen so far, with the exception of Kise, was this overbearing tree in the middle of the room, planted in a large area of soil so its roots were firmly hugging as much of it as it could. Its leaves weren't green but a mixture of purple, some light and some dark that reminded him of an eggplant. Its trunk was mostly wrapped in vines and some patches of black as if it was scarred with burns, along with a small clump of vines dangling in a large rectangular cage of water. What added to the strangeness was a mermaid, well merman to be exact, swimming in it. Akashi's men recently hauled in some new catch and in the process of planning where to put them. They had them settled in the center for the time being.

The merman had silvery scales with a bit of a lilac tint to them as he swished his tail lazily from side to side. He had a mole underneath his eye and short black hair covering one side of his face. He played with the vines in the water, mostly making them sway back and forth like a pendulum. Sometimes the vines would curl around a finger if the merman left it lingered a second too long. A light laugh escaped his lips and he propped himself up, giving the trunk a good pat on the front.

"There, there. You're fine." The merman said, trying to comfort the old tree. "I know this place is different from what you're used to but it's something." The large one shifted until a male face appeared while a pair of thin branches with spider-like fingers cradled the back of the merman's head, along with tiny movements of miniature roots attaching itself to his neck.

Amethyst eyes looked deep into the merman's and he rumbled lowly.

"My dear friend, you are a bit clingy today." The merman stroked an arm slowly. "Perhaps it'll be easier to talk to you if you were in your other form?"

The tree slowly transformed as it adopted human features but he had more of his natural looked mixed in. His large body wore the same lumber texture with a deep brown and charcoal colored mixed. The vines wrapped around his neck like jewelry and slithered down to his torso, covering his entire chest like a tight blanket. His leaves acted as a cape which covered his back that looked of folded wings without feathers as they nestled on the floor.

"Is that better, Atsushi?"

Atsushi shook his head, relieving the purple hair from covering his face. "Mmm…" His hand brushed the wet hair back behind the merman's ear

"Ah, my kind savior…" The merman whispered and rested his head on the creature's chest. His eyes closed while Atsushi wrapped himself around his friend.

"What're you thinking about?" Aomine asked, waking Kuroko from his thoughts when he looked up from the Sylph textbook. He was studious as ever.

Kuroko turned his head and gave a slight shake, it was nothing really but he wondered about those two mysterious beings as his attention went to them. The way they looked at each other, comforting one another and how close they were. Their subtle touches and the adoration in the merman's eyes was beautiful enough for Kuroko to notice.

He looked at Aomine reading the Sylph book attentively, and pondered if such a thing was unobtainable between them.

* * *

**A shorter drabble this time and mostly playing around the whole Murasakibara and Himuro relationship, and the whole tree/merman happened so sudden and I went with it without looking back. Next chapter's theme will be Illness and the following chapter after that will be Kiss. Thank you for the suggestions!**

***Events in this story are not told in order, they are random moments in time  
*Work is unbetad, looking for someone to help me beta this  
*Visit my Tumblr (heartlessblu) for more updates**


	11. Sick

**Theme: Sick**

* * *

Aomine had been staying with Kuroko for most of the nights, even Akashi gotten tired of his small antics and sent him out to run 'errands' to keep the man on his feet, but they never last long since Aomine came back with success, and earned money in the long run.

The sylph became worried and wrote in his journal to convey his feelings, but Aomine responded back with something along the lines of 'I'm fine' and 'Don't worry, just wanted to rest. There's no better place than here'. He didn't mind sleeping on a pillow against the glass and he had his jacket to keep him warm, it was better than sleeping on that ship of his. This continued for a while and what alerted Aomine was Kuroko's coughs during the night as the latter tried to sleep. Immediately, the man became frantic because a cough to him meant closer to death. He recalled when the war broke out back on Earth and medicine became scarce. He tried to seek out as much supplies as he could to help his ill friend recover but without antibiotics, death was waiting at his door.

He didn't want to go through that again.

Kuroko waved his hand a few times, telling Aomine he was fine. He mouthed a 'thank you' and pulled the soft cover over him.

"Alright but if it gets worse, you're in good hands so you can count on me." Aomine gave a smile and jested. "Can you sleep or should I read you a bedtime story?"

The sylph pouted and buried himself in his blanket, leaving Aomine laughing to himself. "I know, I know, you're not a kid. Good night, Tetsu." A hand patted the glass pane and a finger traced the edge of Kuroko's face.

There was a glint in the sylph's eyes before he closed them, and the rest of the night went smoothly without a sound.

Eventually, the coughs became more evident and grew to a rougher sounding. Even Kuroko's eyes watered and his face hinted to the color of red. He tried to control his breathing but it kept coming. Aomine wasn't liking this one bit and had to alert Akashi about it, even though asking him from help was always a pain in the ass.

"I'm getting you help, Tetsu! Just hold on!" Aomine scrambled to his feet and ran. He didn't know what was happening, Kuroko never showed any signs of sickness. Was it because staying too long in a cage can cause such a thing or maybe he was sick to begin with and now it was acting up? Fuck that, he shouldn't even think about it. He had to take care of this now.

"Yo, Akashi!" Aomine pounded the door to Akashi's office. The repeated bangs on metal even woke up the creatures in the room. The small groans and shouts of wanting him to shut up escaped the man's ears. "Oi, wake up! There's something wrong with Tetsu!"

The door opened with an irritated Akashi staring back at the loudmouth. "What're you talking about? Do you have any idea how late it is? Go home."

"There's something wrong with him! You gotta check him out. He's coughing a lot and sylphs don't get sick, right? He could be dying for all we know. Please…" Aomine begged, trying to convince him. "I'll give you fucking money if you want it or-"

Akashi held up his hand, halting Aomine from speaking. With a long and tired sighed, he gave in and decided to take a look at Kuroko. "I do not want your money. I will do it only because I do not want to hear your erratic behavior this late in the morning." He walked out and went to see Kuroko.

The hunter let out an air of relief and followed Akashi. Once they were there, they saw him resting on the cool glass, his heated face nuzzled against it while his chest heaving in steady tempos. A sudden nasty cough struck Kuroko and he covered his mouth once again. His face looked pale while a bit of sweat covered his face.

"Get him out of there!" Aomine raised his voice, but Akashi shushed the man, wanting some silence as he gave some thought. He checked the controls on the cage and spotted a red Error on the screen.

"Ah, I suspected this was the problem." Akashi frowned and fiddled with the controls some more. "And this certain technology is not easy to find."

"What's the problem?" Aomine asked in a hurried fashion.

Akashi explained once he inputted a few more commands. "The problem is the air filtration system. To put it simply, it's broken really. Because sylphs are not meant to be grounded, the air we breathe is not up to standards for them. Irritants in the air aren't that harmful to us but to someone like him, it's like poison. He's unable to cleanse the air himself so if you weren't here today, he would've been dead the next day."

"Damn it, then we quickly replace it with a working one before it kills him!" Aomine continued on, while the growing frustration became apparent on his face. Thankfully Kuroko wasn't going to die, not on his watch.

"True and please stop yelling or I won't do anything." And that shut the man up. "We'll take him out and get a replacement since I have a spare one in the basement. But first…" The collector took out a gun and pointed at the man, his face was calm as he stared at Aomine. The hunter should've seen this coming, Akashi wouldn't make it so easy.

"It's simple. You'll help me get him out and if you try to do anything, you're a dead man to me despite our relationship. Do we have an understanding?"

"Wow, and I thought we had something between us. Where did we go wrong?" Aomine shrugged and shook his head disapprovingly. In response, Akashi fired a shot near the man's feet.

Aomine jumped back and scoffed, his eyebrows furrowed while his hands gripped into a tight fist. "Fuckin' hell! The fuck is wrong with-Alright, alright! I got it!" He quickly yelled as Akashi was about to fire another shot. He truly hated the man but at least, he could be with Kuroko for a small moment, enough to cherish every second of it.

"Then go ahead. I already opened it for you." Akashi motioned to the cage with his gun and Aomine did as he was told. He'd seen how the cage was put together plenty of times so he managed to open it once he felt a glass pane loosen. One side was gently put to the floor and allowed him to step inside. He picked the coughing Kuroko in his arms and covered him in his blanket.

"Hey, you'll be fine. Just hold on for a little longer, alright?" Aomine said reassuringly. He got out of the cage and stood where Akashi wanted him.

A voice rang out to them. "Sir! Is everything alright? I heard a loud ruckus and you weren't in your office." Reo came into view as he ran up to him. He didn't even comment on him pointing a gun at Aomine.

"Everything is fine, the cage needs some tending so grab the new one from the basement." Akashi ordered as he kept his sight on the two.

"Right away, sir." Reo nodded and left with haste.

Aomine remained quiet as he rubbed Kuroko's back, trying to sooth him in some form while the coughing continued. He winced as he couldn't do nothing but to watch him go through with it. It was unsettling and to think sylphs were fragile to begin with. What chances would he have to keep Kuroko safe? As if he had the technology like Akashi to keep him alive, that would've been helpful. A sudden shaky hand grasped Aomine's, adding a small pressure to the hold as his small fingers entangled with larger ones.

The touch startled him from his distressing mind. "Tetsu?" He asked in stupor and returned with a small squeeze of his hand.

A strain of a smile graced Kuroko's lips and Aomine kept the smaller closer to him, while he buried himself in the deep, messy locks of baby blue. He wanted to run away and take Kuroko with him but he couldn't risk Akashi shooting them. If he were to pull out his gun now, it would be too late for the both of them.

How troublesome.

"He'll be your downfall one day, Daiki. And when that happens, I'll be there to see it."

Aomine refused to say anything further.

Reo rolled in the new cage and set it up after removing the old one. He checked the controls and made sure the system was working at full capacity.

"It's ready, sir." Reo stated.

"Thank you. You may put him in." Akashi said to Aomine as the gun remained in his grip while following the hunter's every step.

"Heh." Aomine didn't want to let Kuroko go. Let him be in his arms forever but such beauty wasn't meant for him, not right now at least. Before he placed him down, he gave a chaste kiss on the sylph's forehead, not giving a damn if Akashi saw. "I'm sorry." He whispered and stared into Kuroko's eyes, pondering what he was thinking but the happiness in them was all he needed to know. He left the cage, the lingering feeling of Kuroko's warmth was still familiar in his arms.

With a green light on the panel, the system filtered the air, leaving Kuroko feeling better and alive, the color returned back to his face. His coughing stopped, as if this entire event didn't happened at all. He was okay and that was the only thing that mattered to Aomine.

"Good night, Daiki." Akashi lowered the gun and with a slight nod of his head, walking away while Aomine watched him leave, and wondered if one day, if his life were to end, he hoped Kuroko leaved this prison for good without looking back, and that was something worth sacrificing for.

* * *

**Akashi isn't supposed to be a bad guy, I swear… and look, more complications! I don't know what you're expecting but I hope you enjoyed it Akatsuki Fatale, thanks for the request! Next theme will be Kiss, thanks to the anon who wanted to see it written. **

**Until next time.**

***Events in this story are not told in order  
*Work is unbetad, looking for someone to help me  
*Visit my Tumblr (heartlessblu) for more updates**


	12. Kiss

**Theme: Kiss**

**This piece is related to Chapter 5 and Aomine can read Sylph language now, good job! This chapter is also for the anon who requested this theme, I hope you enjoy. The next theme is Rainbow so look forward to that!**

* * *

Note: This piece is related to Chapter 5 and Aomine can read Sylph language now, good job! I also wrote a Kise/Kasamatsu side story if you guys didn't get the alert on it. Just wrote it explore their relationship.

"He spoils you, you know? Showering you with gifts because that's all he can do, it's enough for him to see you happy." Akashi shook his head with disappointment. "It pains me to say this, but it would be best if you tell him. Do you understand? This cannot go on any further, it won't end well for you." Akashi bent his knees to Kuroko's level, expressing concern as Kuroko studied the man's eyes, seeing how serious he was about the matter.

Kuroko curled his lips, looking downwards as his hands hardened into a firm grip on his legs. He understood Akashi clearly and knew what Aomine wanted, but Kuroko couldn't leave with him even if he tried. Maybe everything will go back to the way it was once Aomine departed.

With one look to the side, he saw the small gifts huddled in a small area and he knew it was going to be a tough conversation.

Would he even forget him after all the time they spent together too?

Kuroko turned to Akashi, giving a hint of a nod as a suitable answer.

Akashi sincerely smiled and got up. "Good. It'll be easier on both of you." With that, he left Kuroko's sights to attend his duties.

Such unpleasant feelings distracted Kuroko and he settled himself back against the glass, hugging himself tightly. Tears started to build up until he couldn't hold them back anymore, and allowed the wet drops roll down his face.

He cried silently to himself.

Hours passed until night hit, Kuroko fell asleep from his sobbing, dreaming of a world where he and Aomine can be together. Maybe they'll go somewhere far, a world similar to Earth where vast green lands extended wide with the calming ocean hugging the shores. A place untouched by humans and the air pure for him to breathe.

Yes, he would like that very much.

The sudden tapping of the glass stirred Kuroko awake and instantly he turned, knowing immediately who was there.

"Whoa! A bit happy to see me, huh?" Aomine grinned.

The sylph replied with a painful smile. He had to bring it up, come on. Write. Write. Write.

"What's the matter? Is something wrong?" The hunter asked as he took a seat on the floor and asked with care. "You can tell me anything, y'know? I'm right here, I won't tell a soul."

Kuroko's eyes softened for a moment, he always loved those qualities about Aomine, how he was always willing to take the time to understand him and that patience of his was endless. His tone remained gentle as he spoke to him with words that spun many tales of his life. Kuroko wouldn't mind hearing it all over again.

He swallowed and prayed Aomine would understand him. He lifted his journal and started to write in it while the taller man waited though his face sprouted curiosity, watching the movements of Kuroko's hand.

It took longer for Kuroko to finish what he wanted to convey since the paper was filled with a bunch of crossed out words and replaced with new thoughts with his messy handwriting, but Kuroko tried his very hardest to express his feelings. One by one, the words covered the entire page.

Once he was done, Kuroko hesitantly turned the journal over for Aomine to read.

'_I hope you'll understand what I'm trying to say so please don't be angry, Aomine-kun. You're the kindest human I've grown to know. I'll treasure every moment we spent together because being with you made me very happy, but I think it would be best if you stop this. I know this is not something you want to read but please don't come here anymore. You're hurting yourself when see me, knowing that I can't leave this place. There is nothing for you here-'  
_

A sudden loud thump on the glass made Kuroko dropped his journal. He noticed how Aomine's fist was raised against it.

"The hell you writing shit like that for?" Aomine responded with a painful look, but he didn't raise his voice at Kuroko. "Did…" His fist slid down the glass, creating a slight streak sound. "Did that bastard tell you to do this?"

Kuroko looked away from Aomine's depressed gaze while he tried to keep himself from falling apart. He wrapped his arms around his chest, giving any form of consolation that everything will be okay but he was wrong. He should've stopped but he didn't.

He messed up.

"Hey, look at me, Tetsu." The taller man's voice sounded calm like a tender caress of a summer wind. Kuroko looked up from his arms and frowned. "There we go." Aomine leaned forward until the surface of the cage was a few inches apart from his face.

Nervousness pooled into Kuroko's stomach as he felt unsure what Aomine was going to say to him.

"Maybe I should've told you from the very start." That light hearted attitude of Aomine came back. He scratched the corner of his face, figuring out what to say next while his eyes looked downwards to the side before gazing back at Kuroko. "When I first saw you, you looked quite lonely."

Lonely? Kuroko tilted his head. Did he really?

"Yeah, like I'm sure you looked peaceful and all but I wanted to cheer you up somehow. I thought it wouldn't hurt to have a friend because I'm pretty sure it's damn boring here, and rotting away in this stink hole would be really shitty." Aomine let out a dry chuckle and continued. "Compared to the others, you seemed different so I wanted to try."

The tiny tingles grew in Kuroko's chest as he listened.

"I really like…" Aomine rubbed the back of his head and struggled to keep a smile on his face because he looked as if he was having a difficult time. "Us being friends and I started to realized that you mean a lot to me. And I mean a whole lot…" Aomine used his hands to signify a gigantic circle. "It's actually bigger than this but you get what I mean!"

It was a funny way of showing it, but Kuroko didn't mind it one bit.

"Spending time with you was worth it from start to end, and I have no regrets about it. You deserve better, and that's when I decided I want to get you out of this place, show you what's out there. I want to give you happiness and I mean it when I say it." Aomine's voice became low and he gripped his own shirt where his heart was. "Tetsu, please don't turn me away. I would give up my life for you to set you free."

And with that, Aomine pressed his lips against the glass and kissed where Kuroko's lips would be. Kuroko's eyes widened and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tears began to fall while his lips quivered, unable to understand why Aomine would go such lengths for him. The sylph scrambled to get his journal, but he stopped as he heard Aomine spoke once more.

"I love you."

Kuroko buried into his hands, hiding the tears marring his face while his entire body racked with shudders. He could feel his heart beating fast against his chest as he wondered if this how love was supposed to feel.

"Man, Tetsu… I'm sorry. I will always though. Nothing will change how I feel. To be here with you is more than enough to keep this fool going." Aomine closed his eyes and sighed with relief while Kuroko looked up from his hands, seeing the truth gracing the man's face.

Kuroko's own fingers traced the outline of the hunter's face against the glass, adoring every small trait with small movements from the shell of his ear to the curve of his chin. Kuroko wanted to hold him and tell him that he does feel the same as well.

With a repeated tap, Kuroko got Aomine's attention and moved his lips to form a silent 'I love you' before closing his eyes. He leaned forward and gently placed his lips against the glass, mimicking Aomine's previous action. Kuroko seen how humans kissed with their loved ones so he did his best even with the glass in the way. He soon felt a tiny area of warmth building up and he opened his eyes to see Aomine kissing back.

Time seemed to slow between the two.

This was the mark of their beginnings.

* * *

***Events in this story are not told in order, they are random moments in time**  
***unbeta work**  
***Visit my Tumblr (heartlessblu) for more updates**


	13. Rainbow

Theme: Rainbow

Chapter dedicated to kimi_nyan who requested this one-word prompt, hope you like it! Next theme is 'Loyalty', also requested by kimi_nyan.

Feel free to give me one word prompts.

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"Say, if you had to pick something you miss, what would it be?"

Kuroko thought about it and wrote his reply in his journal. Aomine glanced at the writing and didn't recognize the particular word so with his dictionary at hand, he looked it up and understood the term immediately.

"Oh, a rainbow?"

Kuroko nodded and started a sketch of a rainbow with color pencils, a kind gift from the bounty hunter himself. Aomine always liked it when he watched Kuroko putting his gifts to good use.

He stared at the sylph's coloring, thinking quietly to himself.

A shame really, since this rocky moon they were on wasn't known for its sunny days and a chance of rain. Normally the sky was cloudy, blocking the sun's rays which intended to make any man's days a bit moot. How fitting it was to have Akashi's collections situated in such a place.

"Sorry, Tetsu…" Aomine frowned, knowing he couldn't show him one if he tried. There were pictures in textbooks but it wasn't the real thing. If anything, he would grab Kuroko, put him on his ship, and fly to some planet or moon with the right conditions. Problem solved. "I'd take this cage and you with me so we can go rainbow hunting. I'll just ram my ship into this place and bam! Problem solved."

Kuroko paused and stared. Aomine turned his head side to side and laughed. "Okay, I'm not THAT crazy!"

The sylph lowered his eyes to his book and wrote something down. By the time Aomine read it, he chuckled.

'Aomine-kun is ridiculous.'

"It happens when you're stuck with me. You get all my ridiculousness."

'You are correct.'

The tanned man hummed and stuck his hands in his coat pockets while pondering what he can do to solve this situation. The word 'rainbow' echoed in his mind, hoping some idea would pop up.

The sylph curiously looked at Aomine, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Ah hah!" Aomine sprung an idea and snapped his finger in success. "Yeah, so I'll be right back. Just wait and see because I have this cool idea, alright? It's going to be great."

Kuroko responded with the word 'cool' and the hunter's face lit up.

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In fact, it took Aomine pass midnight to get everything he needed. He came inside with a bunch of small, brown bags behind his back and treaded carefully so he wouldn't make noises since everyone was asleep.

He found Kuroko waiting for him, in fact, Kuroko didn't look tired at all.

"Thought you'd be sleeping by now?"

Kuroko shook his head and sat there patiently while eyeing at the bags Aomine carried.

"Couldn't wait to see what I got? Well, you're in for a surprise." He made his way up the cage, easily lugging the bags with him once he reached the top. He loosened the strings on one of them and with a toothy grin on his face, Aomine spoke.

"I hope you're ready."

With a gentle shake, he poured the contents into the small opening of the tank, red petals swayed back and forth as they fell. With one bag down, he poured another with the oranges, yellows, greens, and finished the last batch of flower petals with violet.

Light blue orbs stared at the mix of colors raining above the sylph as the cage light gave a soft glow to the falling petals. Kuroko raised a hand in the air, the smooth and feather-like caresses of the petals brushed against his fingertips.

"You like it?"

But Kuroko didn't reply, still distracted by the rainbow.

It was fine, Aomine didn't mind. He also decided to keep quiet about how he obtained the flower petals in the first place. It wasn't important, not like he had to spend a ton of money to get them or anything close to that matter.

Picking them out was the challenging part.

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The next morning, Akashi found a sleeping Aomine and Kuroko's cage filled with colorful petals inside and out of the cage. With a wonderful wake-up call from the collector, he forced Aomine to pick up every single flower petal as punishment while scolding him why it wasn't a good idea to bring them in the first place.

It didn't stop Kuroko from enjoying every single cusses Aomine spouted out.

And Aomine didn't care. He granted Kuroko's wish after all.

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***Events in this story are not told in order, they are random moments in time**  
***unbeta work**  
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	14. Loyalty

**Theme: Loyalty**

**For kimi_nyan.**

**Requests are done for now unless you guys feel like giving me more~ I don't mind. I already have an idea for the next chapter. Also going to be in Chicago this Sunday so when I get the chance, I'll continue writing so expect slow updates for the time being. Thank you everyone for the alerts and reviews, you're all too kind!**

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'Are you and Akashi-san good friends?' Kuroko asked in his written journal and showed it to Aomine.

Aomine shook his head. "Nah. Our relationship is strictly business even though that guy thinks we're friends." He air quoted on the word 'friends' and continued. "We've known each other for a long time though, but that's it really. If anything, he can call it quits and there goes that." And say goodbye to his source of income, well seventy percent of it.

'But you two trust each other?'

"Tch, well he does hold up his end of the deal, but you'd be smart to keep your guard up around him. He can break a deal without a sweat and you won't walk out of here alive, or if you fucked it up, then you're dead too. I've seen it happened. It ain't pretty I'll tell you that." Aomine explained as he fiddled with the buttons of his jacket while sitting next to Kuroko's cage. "Good thing you weren't here when it went down too." He added quietly to himself.

'How did you two meet?'

"Huh? You seem to be asking a lot of questions tonight, Tetsu."

'I am curious about Aomine-kun's life after all.' Kuroko added a smile.

A light laugh. "Alright, it's nothing special though, but I'll indulge ya."

Aomine situated himself comfortably and started how he was an orphan back on Earth, before it became a land of desolation and death. There were others like him who were shipped to Mars, where it held an orphanage. Mars, at that time, was slowly growing in population, to Earth survivors it became a second home to them. Aomine hated it. He didn't get along with the kids, but there was always Sister Marie who was very kind to him, but he didn't want to stay. He wanted to be free.

So one day, he ran away. The orphanage wasn't his home and he thought he would make his own path, and do whatever he wanted.

He ended up living in the streets and became a thief to survive. With no money, he stole food from vendors and ran as far as his legs can carry while the owners chased him down. Living alone meant learning to defend yourself and never stay in one area for too long because who knows who will find you.

On one particular night, it changed what Aomine wanted in life. He spotted an open window and peeked through to find a TV playing a bounty hunter program. A lady informed the viewers the bounties that were up for grabs. It showed their pictures along with the crimes they committed and below them, in bright yellow lights, the amount of rooks they were worth.

The thirteen year old boy back then knew he had to do it, become a bounty hunter and that was it. It wasn't easy at first but after making money, he stuck with it. What else can he do? He had no interest in anything else. Besides, who doesn't want to travel around the solar system?

"I met Akashi when he put up a bounty for this one particular being called Lamia. And I swear, she eats children and devoured them like nothing..." Aomine shuddered at the horrible feeling as he remembered seeing it happening in front of his eyes. "It wasn't something I want to see again."

Kuroko looked terrified.

"Crazy, I know. Akashi wanted it alive so I hunted her down, knocked her out, and brought her to him. Akashi liked what I did so I guess it was a start of our deal. He would request my help and if I get the job done, he'll pay me. Oh, and that Lamia is in here somewhere. If you ever see a woman with wild pink hair and serpent-like body with a huge rack, that's her."

'Huge rack?'

"Yeah, like big boobs and all?"

Kuroko made an 'o' in understanding while giving Aomine a skeptical look.

"It's not like that! Just respecting them, that's all!" But Kuroko frowned just a tad bit to make Aomine feel bad. "Gah! I love you though. Boobs won't change how I feel, no matter the size."

Aomine spoke with honesty though he could've said it one hundred percent better.

Kuroko rolled his eyes and let out a puff of air as he rested his chin on his hand, while smiling as he mouthed those words 'I love you too' to him. The dark bluenette awed in response.

The story continued as Aomine added more short stories of other hunts he had done, some good ones and others not so great. After finishing up some small details, Kuroko added another statement in his journal.

'It sounds like Aomine-kun and Akashi-san are bounded by loyalty.'

Aomine raised a brow and smirked. "Heh, if there's anyone I'd be loyal to, it'd be you, Tetsu."

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**When I saw a picture of Lamia, I immediately thought Momoi being the perfect fit :'). Such grace as she strangles a child with her body. Hide yo kids.**

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	15. Fight

**Sorry for the really late update. After coming back from Chicago, I took a break from updating and life kept me busy. Pretty much wrote my rambles on Tumblr to keep me going and that was it for my writing part. I wish this chapter was more but that's all I can dish out at the moment.**

**And I've been longing to address how yes, this story is influenced by Cowboy Bebop (since someone mentioned about it) when I was writing the previous chapters. I was watching it at that time and really enjoyed it hence you can sense the CB feel.**

**Hope you like this chapter anyways. Reviews are always appreciated! Feel free to send me some prompts and what not.**

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Aomine laid there panting on the floor with sweat covering his entire face and blood tainting his white tee. His face bruised and the growing pain on his sides became apparent when he tried to move over to get up. He saved what energy he had left and eyed at the man he defeated with a small victory grin.

The green-haired male let out a tired breath and adjusted his glasses. He wiped the dirt and sweat off his face with the hem of his sleeve and put on his coat. He simply glared at Aomine before turning away, leaving a final glance at Kuroko.

The sylph watched him retreat before he looked at Aomine, worried about his state of being. He tapped the glass repeatedly to get his attention and the hunter knew as he waved his hand in the air.

"It's fine, don't worry about me. I'm just a lil' tired but alive." He smiled. "I did pretty well, I think?"

A simple nod from Kuroko sufficed but Aomine apologized for making him worried and promised he won't do something stupid like that again. It gave Kuroko a form of comfort at least.

A fight went down between Aomine and Midorima, the prestigious son of Shuutoku, a well-known distributor of medical supplies. He came to visit Akashi with some dealings and soon discovered Kuroko and asked what he was. Akashi explained to him about this rare creature which sparked the owner's interest, and Aomine knew he had to do something.

Aomine immediately gripped the man's shoulder and told him to back off. He didn't care who Midorima was and where he came from. Someone buying Kuroko was unheard of, especially when he was the one who promised Kuroko that they'll be together no matter what.

The green haired male didn't agree, considering how he had enough money to buy the creature right off the bat.

"Maybe you should've acted quickly before waiting for someone to take him away, nanodayo."

"Fuck you." Aomine replied harshly. A sudden idea came to mind and he uggested a bet with Midorima. It was simple. The two will fight until one gives up. Whoever wins will keep Kuroko. Aomine was confident in his abilities and seeing how Midorima looked like he couldn't pack a punch, he knew he had it in the bag.

He was wrong.

Midorima was skilled in martial arts and Aomine knew he had the disadvantage but he fought his hardest, landing punches and kicks while Midorima retaliated, dodging and blocking the bounty hunter's attacks with every evasive step.

The fight lasted longer than it should and Aomine wouldn't give up. Even Kuroko could see it in the man's eyes, and he wanted to stop the fight. Nothing he did deterred Aomine from his goal.

No matter how many times Aomine got beaten up, Midorima could never get him to admit defeat and that irritated the male greatly.

With a final blow, Aomine fell but it didn't wipe the grin off his face once his back met the cold floor. He spit some blood out and stared at Midorima who stared right back at him.

"You're a difficult one, I'll admit that. Why do you fight so hard for him?" Midorima asked as he looked at Kuroko, trying to understand what made him special.

"You wouldn't understand," Aomine spoke with every shaky breath. "I'm not letting you take Tetsu, that's all. Not while I still live and breathe."

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	16. Visit

**This chapter follows the previous one and I knew I should've put more effort in the last chapter since it was shit :/. I originally wanted to bring Takao too but I guess I completely forgot about it or something. I'm sorry.**

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There was one peculiar cage Kuroko was curious about, mostly because it was a large bird cage shaped as a dome with black bars attached from the very top down to the base area where a quiet creature sat. His silver blue-like eyes stared into the distance though one eye had no pupil and a human arm and a hazelnut colored wing settled on his legs bent close to his feathery chest. His talon scratched the floor in a lazy manner, creating long lines with no purpose.

Sometimes Kuroko would wave at him, try to get his attention because he looked sad and it worried him, despite the fact he doesn't know anything about the bird.

Akashi came to him after sensing Kuroko's curiosity and explained. His name was Takao, a strix though in his case, Takao was half human, half bird. Strix was known for its long golden beaks, able to rip apart human flesh with ease and what frightened Kuroko the most was their ability to suck blood of infants but he shouldn't fret about that small detail. With his human genes, Takao adopted a regular face instead of the strix's characteristics.

"You shouldn't waste your time worrying about him." Akashi stated.

But it still didn't stop Kuroko from getting Takao's attention.

The next day, Aomine stopped by with a new journal for him to have. Kuroko thanked him once again as he always looked forward to his little gifts.

'Do you know anything about that strix over there?' The sylph questioned on paper.

"Hmm?" Aomine turned his head and shrugged his shoulders, seeing the bird creature sitting there. "Beats me. Don't know much about them, probably Akashi knows but I wouldn't waste my time."

'I tried to get his attention before but he's not responsive.' He frowned. 'Do you think he's feeling okay? He doesn't seem to be sick.'

"He looks like he's spacing out? Probably in his own little world. I wouldn't blame him though, probably wants to stretch his wings instead of being cooped up in there. I'm sure it's pretty boring."

'That could be.' Kuroko slightly nodded and shifted until his side rested on the glass. He silently hoped for the creature to feel better soon.

The very next day, a visitor walked and immediately Aomine stood up with a slightly pissed off face but he held his hand up to prevent the blue haired male from lashing out or starting a fist fight.

"I'm not here for him." Midorima stated and walked forward to Takao's cage, ignoring any further discussions with the bounty hunter. Aomine lifted a brow but sighed with relief while Kuroko watched the green haired character with interest.

Midorima stood in front of the cage and waited with patience. The strix looked up from his resting position and his eyes widened at the mere visitor. His once silent demeanor became a more energetic one which surprised both Kuroko and Aomine.

"Oh man, you-you," Takao held his laughter behind his wing but his shoulders were shaking. Midorima stared unsurely and shifted his stature a bit. "You look like a carrot! Has anyone told you that?" He started to laugh as Midorima hardened his gaze and inspected the creature as if he had two heads.

"Excuse me?"

"Seriously," Takao got up, his sharp talons scratching the surface of the café, and gave a good long look at Midorima. "Yeah, it's fall season and all and the coat is in style but your hair really completes the carrot look. If anything, you might turn me into a vegetarian!" He cackled but Midorima didn't find it amusing. "Get it?"

"Akashi said I would be interested in something different but this is not how I imagined it." He leaned closer while eyes concentrated deeply into Takao's own. "What sets you apart from the rest, Takao Kazunari?"

The laughing stopped. "Are-are you trying to buy me?" The bird creature asked in disbelief and scoffed. "Thanks but no thanks, I'm completely fine here." He turned around to avoid the man's uncomfortable stare.

"Are you really? I was informed how quiet you are and now you have quite the energy to talk back." Midorima continued but Takao cut him off immediately.

"Go away, you don't know shit about me. Go find some pet to keep you entertained, not me." His wing pointed straight at the exit door.

"I'm not going to leave."

"You're wasting your time."

"I'm not looking for a pet."

Takao rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"It's…" Midorima curled his lips together. "Because today's lucky item is a bird. It wasn't specific as to what kind but I believe you are the one I'm looking for. I'm not leaving until we reach an agreement."

"So YOU ARE looking for a pet." Takao hissed in dissatisfaction and sat straight up until his face touched the bars of the cage. "No." His teeth seething as he made it clear once again. "No and that's final."

The taller male pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "I will come back later." He checked the time on his pocket watch and gave a final nod to Takao before turning to leave. Takao watched in confusion as the man retreated, expecting more of a fight from him but he got nothing. His mood soon turned sour and he went back to the same position, creating scratching marks once more.

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**Note: There's a reason for everything. And go ahead and send me some one word themes you want me to write and I'll try. I already have 17 planned currently.**

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	17. Alcohol

**Notes: So these past few weeks, my grandpa is in the hospital and his health isn't doing too well. I don't know what's going to happen to him to be honest because he hasn't open his eyes, he can only hear and move his hands (so this chapter is crap I think). This is probably my last 'drabble' writing before I take this story to Part 2. It'll be a much longer chapter (I hope) and speed things along. Thank you everyone for your reviews, subscribes, and follows. They mean a lot.**

**I also wish I can write a new story which 'A Small Distraction' is based on (after rewriting that one-shot and all). I did some brainstorming but don't know if I'll ever attempt it. Major sighs.**

**I just want hugs.**

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It was late. To be exact, it was 4:36 a.m. when he arrived at Akashi's place. Aomine opened the door quietly without making a sound and stumbled in while his hands held onto the metal surface to keep his body upright. He walked forward to his favorite destination, carefully making sure he doesn't trip over himself while feeling the effects of the alcohol circulating in his system.

How he managed to park his ship without getting a ticket was a miracle. To be honest, he felt proud of himself because no one in this galaxy can park a ship better than him.

The place was filled with the silence of the sleeping creatures in their cages and it seemed the owner already went to bed. Aomine was thankful for that at least because he sure didn't want to handle Akashi in such a state. When he reached the cage, he tapped the glass and within seconds Kuroko stirred with a surprise look on his face once he spotted Aomine. He rubbed his eyes and sat up with the blanket around his shoulders.

"Hi," Aomine whispered as he rested his forehead on the glass. "Sorry to wake you. Didn't mean to be late, had shit to do but I'm finally here." The sudden dizziness hit him. He let out a small groan and slumped to the floor while his face nuzzling into the glass, feeling the cool surface against his skin. A pleasing sigh escaped his lips before he spoke again.

"I missed you today, thought about you a lot actually." He took a swig of the bottle and settled it down next to him. "Wished you were there…" He whispered the latter while dark blue eyed the perfect ones.

Kuroko smiled slightly, staring at the bottle and wrote in his journal.

'I missed you too. It's quiet when you're not here.' On the next line, he added. 'How are you?'

Aomine squinted at the words and beamed with a smile. "Better since you're here."

A small grin appeared on the sylph's face. 'I'm glad. You should sleep, Aomine-kun. It is very late and a young man such as you should be resting at this time.' Kuroko wrote with a growing concern.

"Mmm, but don't wanna." Aomine answered childishly. "But maybe…" He let out a yawn and positioned himself until he rested his head against the glass and curled up with his long jacket as a comforter. He missed the small smirk on the sylph's face.

"Hey, come here for a second." The hunter softly said.

Kuroko moved closer and leaned forward with his arms crossed underneath his chin and his eyes interestedly staring at the tall male.

Large hands moved and touched the glass where Kuroko's lips were. Aomine's thumb swiped across the surface as he tried to imagine the feel of those pink lips. They would be like flower petals, smooth without any imperfections. "Damn, I really want to kiss you right now. Like over and over again," Aomine's face grew warmer, wearing a genuine expression. "Feel you close to me, hold you whenever. Ah damn it, I wanna make love to you really badly." He gritted his teeth together, trying to hold himself from screaming out loud.

Kuroko stared at Aomine with eyes wide like saucers at the unexpected confession. He didn't know what to do except grab his blanket and hide under it to cover his indescribable flutter in his heart.

Aomine smacked his forehead, noticing his stupidity up front. "I'm sorry. Obviously not NOW but I don't know, somewhere along the road-but when you're ready of course! Actually, you decide! Because I don't know what I'm talking about!" He sputtered the remaining words. "God, I'm shutting up now."

From under the blanket, a tiny head peaked out and a small finger traced against the glass in slow strokes. Aomine watched Kuroko write an 'O' and 'K' and chuckled deeply. "It's okay with me too, Tetsu." He bellowed a yawn and muttered that Kuroko should go to sleep, even sylphs need their beauty rest too.


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